Power crews working to restore electricity in Indiana

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Saturday’s strong winds – including 60 mph gusts – led to a peak of 48,444 power outages in Indiana

Approximately 7,666 customers remain without power as of 1:15 p.m. today

Company thanks customers for their patience as work continues on scattered, isolated outages

PLAINFIELD, Ind. – More than 7,500 Duke Energy customers in Indiana remain without electric service following powerful winds on Saturday. This is down from a high of nearly 48,500 customer outages on Saturday night.

“Our crews are working to remove downed trees, replace power poles, restring power lines and restore power,” said Howard Fowler, Duke Energy’s storm director. “We’ve made significant progress, and we appreciate our customers’ patience and support as we continue to work as quickly and as safely as possible.”

Crews responding to widespread outages

Yesterday’s wind storm did not have a focal point, and the majority of the power outages were scattered throughout Duke Energy Indiana’s service area, which includes parts of 69 counties in North Central, Central and Southern Indiana. These scattered, isolated outages typically take longer to assess and repair than a single, widespread outage on a specific circuit. Also, line crews continue to be hampered by high winds.

“Ongoing wind gusts exceeding 35 mph are delaying restoration efforts in some areas, as high winds make it unsafe for our line technicians to extend the buckets on their service trucks,” said Fowler.

In addition to all available crews and contract resources, Duke Energy has enlisted the services of hundreds of additional workers from as far away as Michigan and Wisconsin.

Click here for an infographic that explains how Duke Energy restores power. A short YouTube video also illustrates our process.

All three resources also provide estimated restoration times, when available. The mobile website’s outage map displays all outages in the region.

Safety first

Duke Energy reminds customers to stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all power lines energized, as well as trees or limbs in contact with power lines. Please report downed power lines to Duke Energy.

If a power line falls across a car you’re in, stay in the car. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground.

Customers should be prepared

Customers should be prepared for the potential of an extended outage. Duke Energy urges customers to:

Ensure a portable, battery-operated radio, TV or NOAA weather radio is on hand.

Avoid heating homes with a gas grill or bringing a generator inside. Such equipment should be operated only outdoors, and only in well-ventilated areas. Manufacturer instructions should be followed.

Check on family members, friends and neighbors who have special medical needs or who are elderly, to ensure they have necessary emergency supplies.

Determine now what action they would take in the event of an extended power outage.

About Duke Energy Indiana

Duke Energy Indiana’s operations provide about 7,500 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 810,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it the state’s largest electric supplier.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.